Dead animals in Brighton

[moosa]

What are everyones views on the dead animals put in brighton by the people who don't(?) want fox hunting banned? Personally I understand their point because there would be too many foxes and the horses would have to be kiled but what they did today was just sick, cruel and they definitely went too far and have lost all of my respect.

[andy hughes]

Because of the massive amount of media coverage, and the voracity of the protesters, it's easy to loose sight of the realities of the hunting debate. Considering the very few numbers of foxes that are actualy caught, the ban on hunting will have a negligable effect on the fox population. There is nothing stopping people from riding - the absence of a fox to chase simply removes that aspect of their pleasure - and it is the chase the hunters enjoy, the catching of a fox is entirely incidental. I would never take pleasure in anyone losing their livelyhood, but a relatively small number of people will loose jobs, compared with the hundreds of thousands who have had to adapt to changes in their world of work - miners, potters, shipbuilders, steelworkers, car workers, and so on - and no such protest was raised by, or indeed for them. Hunting is an outdated barbaric activity which has no place in a civilised society - and has nothing to do with class or money - cruelty is no respecter of such notions as social class. The hun supporters who leave dead animals as a protest simply further the argument against what they do - the needless death of an animal for sport is unacceptable, the ban is favoured by the majority, and minority, however committed they are, must accept that the days of their 'sport' are happily numbered.

[FP]

Well said Andy. Hunting has very little effect on the fox population in the countryside. I would also like to stress that most country people are also against hunting. The protesters are certainly showing themselves in their true colours now!

[archbishop]

As hunter myself (guns) I must disagree with the 2 previous answers.As Andy says it's not the killing of foxes but the thrill of the chase.When I shoot I don't mind missing although it helps if I get a kill, as the animal gets eaten.Will fishing be next? GAB - Fakeplastic.

[archbishop]

Just as a matter of interest.Hunting has been banned in Scotland for two years and the number of foxes killed has doubled.

[FP]

Nothing wrong with the thrill of the chase and even all the dressing up and ritual - if that's what you like. But please chase each other and not foxes, and please make sure that hunt followers have respect for others (sadly lacking in our area) and don't block the roads with their badly parked 4WD's and cause irritation and accidents. I have no objection to shooting animals for food or pest control, but please don't make a 'sport' of it! Thats my rant for tonight. And *GAB* archbishop! xx

[Toffee]

I agree with Andy and Fakeplastic. Still trying to find some logic in archbishop's posts. Andy's use of the word "hun" is an interesting typo.

[andy hughes]

Archbishop - I fail to see an relation between the proceedure of fox hunting and your approach which is shooting. Properly done, shooting provides an instantaneous death, and if your prey is edible, there is a byproduct which goes some way towards justifying the activity. How that compares with a pack of riders chasing a non-edible animal with the dubious intent of catching it escapes me - am I missing something in your response?

[mandybat]

The full horror of what they did to the horse was not shown....my husband was working in Brighton for Sky news and he said he'd never seen anything as barbaric.Some inhumane bastage stuck a stake through the horses chest with a pro-hunt placard on it ...which must have been a lovely sight for the class of school children that were on on a school trip and happened to walk past..... ARchbishop...I'm having a hard time coming to grips with "the thrill of the chase" idea,all that goes through my mind is the terror and panic that the fox feels as he's being hounded across miles of beautiful country followed by baying hounds and semi-people who in this day of intolerance for all cruel sports should know better. Why isnt aniseed trailing a fitting substitute if its just the thrill of the chase that counts???.

[moosa]

While we're on the subject did anyone see the newsround special on bull fighting. It amzed and shocked me as the bulls are confused then stbbed by many spears which have actually been decorated with tinsel, the fighters then proceed to jump on the bull untill its to weak to fight then its dragged out of the the ring where it is promtly killed and sent to make dinner! I'm 100% against there so called sport, people say we should carry on doing it coz its tradition but this is the 21st century for gods sake, why should we carry on being like our barbaric ancestors?!! Who's with me on this one? In my opinion unless there is a worthy cause behind it ('sport' doesnt count) its definitely NOT ON!

[FP]

Moosa, I am definitely with you. If we are to keep up these cruel 'sports' then I suggest we bring back bear bating and witch ducking, etc. etc. Life moves on, but the hunt brigade think that they should be allowed to stick with their 'country traditions' and that 'townies don't understand. What a load of ****. A great deal of people who hunt nowadays come up from the towns at weekends and know nothing about the countryside.

[dijoncustard]

I do hope that all those who think that hunting should be banned on the grounds of cruelty to foxes etc. make sure that every bit of meat/animal produce they buy and consume for themselves or their pets is free-range and organic, because a lot more cruelty is inflicted on these factory farmed animals throughout the entire course of their lives than is on the fox.  And even if a factory-farmed animal's death is carried out more quickly (although not necessarily humanely) compared with the (perhaps) drawn out death of the fox, these factory farmed animals have to endure a tortuous, unnatural life beforehand, just so we can go to the supermarket and buy cheap, convenient meals.  The way these animals are kept prior to their death is far more sick and cruel than the hunting of a fox, and yet, for some bizarre reason, far more universally accepted.  Fox hunting is not necessarily right, but there are far more important animal-issues we should be concerning ourselves with instead.